Eskom is on the verge of tipping SA back into load shedding

Eskom warned on Thursday that there is a high likelihood of the first load shedding in almost four months on Thursday as it struggles to return generating units to service.

This comes after energy analyst Chris Yelland said earler on Thursday that the utility narrowly averted rolling blackouts on Wednesday.

In a tweet, Yelland said: “Eskom confirms to me unofficially that to avert manual rotating load shedding yesterday, all emergency generation resources at its disposal were used, including all open-cycle gas turbines, plus 450MW load interruption to smelters, plus some ‘load reduction’, plus some Power Alert reduction.”

However, load shedding could become inevitable as soon as Thursday evening, Eskom warned in a statement.

“While Eskom is working hard to to return generating units to service, the possibility of load shedding during the peak demand hours is high,” it said.

“One generation unit at the Tutuka power station tripped, while another one was taken off the grid, as well as a unit at Lethabo. The return to service of a generation unit each at Duvha and Kendal power stations has been delayed. All of these have added significant pressure to the generation system.”

Eskom warned that any additional breakdowns will compromise its ability to supply South Africa through the peak hours of 5pm to 9pm on Thursday and that the constrained supply could last through the weekend. — (c) 2020 NewsCentral Media